End of first-week-challenge

One-week-challenge

With the one week target of 100 species hit yesterday at TH, time today to catch up on a few missing spp.
Things looked good on leaving home with nice weather and thoughts of Hawfinches and early Gos but went downhill a bit when I drove straight past the exit for the New Forest (!!) so went on to Blashford where the wind cut you in two inside Tern Hide!!

Ten Goosanders and the usual spp  - the P-fG seemed to be missing and despite directions to a/the R-bG all I could find was Common Gulls although adult Yellow-legged Gull was new for the year. Pochards still over 100 but all huddled on the northern side with most other wildfowl. Ten Black-tailed Godwits dropped in but it became too cold to wait for more gull action.

A Pop-up cafe coffee and scone with Jackie and a couple from Christchurch, originally from Chichester.

On the south side Walter was just visible through the trees and a nice bonus in the shape of a distant Merlin from Ivy South was the last new bird for this week. I don't see them too often and was quite pleased until Bob burst my bubble  - he'd had three together noisily chasing each other on the way in to work! A distant Kingfisher still looked good in the very bright light and eventually flew over the hide and it or another was then on the Silt Pond.
Nothing was very photogenic today.

So, still plenty of common birds not seen for the year, Reed Bunting still being absent.

Day 6 of trying to see 100+ species within the first week of the new year started badly, being let down by the Southsea Purple Sands despite being low tide; four Rock Pipits and a bonus in the shape of a Shag being pushed along offshore by gig boats. Nothing else but gulls.

At Langstone Bridge eight Avocets and then back home for coffee before popping over to TH where Eider and Common Scoter were quickly found on a calm sea; sadly too late for the flyby Black-throated Diver. Another showy Rock Pipit on the beach.

Other NfYs were Water Rail, Song Thrush, Ruff still in with the godwits and a distant flock of 35 Golden Plovers taking total to 101. Considering habitat visited Reed Bunting is a surprising omission.

Just 2-3 Sparrowhawks including this distantly perched bird and one Marsh Harrier and later 50+ Great Crested Grebes off Brownwich.

Pond, park, beds

At PHP a singing Treecreeper was the only NfY, not being able to find a Firecrest nor even a tit flock today. On the pond, Pochard 3, Shoveler 2 and  Common Gull 50+ whilst a single Great Crested Grebe was the first for a while. A Buzzard flashed east with a strong wind and two corvids behind it and a little later a Red Kite was circling out to the west.

In the park, lunch, Bullfinch but no sight of any Hawfinch. A typically nervous Mistle Thrush had taken ownership of the well-berried Holly adjacent to the storage area. Not too bad underfoot on the outward journey of the 'insect loop' with some fresh Roe Deer slots down the middle of the path but very muddy on the return journey with not a peep of Firecrest nor other passerines.

Finally, at high tide at Hayling Oysterbeds the islands were just above water; five RBMs and three Little Grebes here and plenty of waders struggling for a foothold including a few Knot - no scope so no scanning for divers etc.

SOS Report at Arundel

Popped into WWT to collect 2016 Bird Report which I skimmed through over coffee in the comfy seats waiting for the rain to stop. This Goldcrest, whilst being very confiding and photogenic, was just too quick for me, camera and lens. A Red Kite and Stock Dove were NfYs but couldn't see or hear a few others I'd expected. As usual lots of disturbance from chain sawing and brush cutting and the Kingfishers were 'heard onlys'.

Briefly at the Burgh carpark gate in blustery conditions another kite and ten Grey Partridges but no passerines and from the village no obvious sign of the Bewicks which are presumably still in the Adur floods.

Watching from the Farlington carpark  masses of birds disturbed by wind and a big tide but no sign of Mike W's Red-necked Grebe unsurprisingly - hopefully it might still be in the area. Luckily, part of the Barnacle Goose flock were scopable from the car.

Mammals up to 4!!

Thankfully no damage or flooding affecting the area unlike elsewhere in the country although some guys from the yacht club were securing a few boats and their sails. Three NfYs over half-brekkie -  Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Turnstone with spray breaking over them followed later by B-tGs (60+) and Snipe(25). Two Marsh Harriers were up, later joined by a third plus half a dozen Buzzards and an adult Peregrine popped in and scattered every duck, wader and gull before departing east.
What looked like a twig or leaf drifting distantly down river turned into a Water Vole through the scope!! Later, six Pintails dropped in to the frying pan and a Med Gull popped its head up amongst the roost.

The 40+ mph winds threw loads of sand and shingle across the road and meant over a big midday  tide it was impossible to scan for sea-duck without being sand-blasted!! Probably should have looked for Gannet as there must have been the odd one going through the Solent.

This Calliphorid fly was one of several in sunny patches; still waiting for first hover of the year.

Wet and windy with worse to come

A slight break in the weather and off to Broadmarsh where in windy high-tide conditions no sign of this morning's 2 BTDs but both Great Northerns present along with Long-tailed Duck and a handful of other NfYs. On to Warblington where the Cattle Egret was typically too far for a decent picture. Curlew and House Sparrow were NfY as was Grey Squirrel(!) earlier at the pond.

A wet start to the new year

Sixty-two species between Tern Hide, Woodland and Ivy South plus Red Fox and Bank Vole. Missed the 4 roosting gull species by leaving early and plenty of 'missing' spp - Skylark, Treecreeper, House Sparrow etc etc!!